Syria

The Syrian conflict has been growing in intensity and scope for more than two years, with the United Nations estimating more than 100,000 dead and millions displaced.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 31, 2015

Coalition of Sunni Islamist insurgent groups, including Al Qaeda’s Nusra Front, takes control of Idib, Syria, leaving residents to wonder how they will be governed; diverse warring factions across country have made complex map of control. MORE

Mar. 30, 2015

Turkey moves to close last two remaining border gates with Syria, ending open-door policy that persisted through four years of civil conflict in neighboring country; shift follows growing fear of terrorist attack amid outpouring of refugees. MORE

Mar. 27, 2015

News Analysis; United States support for Saudi-led military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen comes at cost of escalating regional fight with Iran, which backs Houthis; while US and Iran are at loggerheads in Yemen, they are de facto allies in fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria; situation highlights what some see as puzzling patchwork of Middle East policies by Obama administration. MORE

Mar. 27, 2015

United States and Syria have reportedly been discussing whereabouts of Austin Tice, American freelance journalist who disappeared in Syria more than two years ago. MORE

Mar. 26, 2015

United Nations reports that war in Syria has driven number of people seeking asylum across globe to 20-year high, with 866,000 people seeking asylum in world's industrialized countries in 2014; figure represents 45 percent increase over 2013. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Chlorine bombs, reportedly dropped by Syrian government forces, kill six people in Idlib Province. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

United Nations panel monitoring conflict in Syria announces it will share details on suspected criminals with European judicial authorities preparing war crimes cases against them. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, Air Force veteran from New Jersey who was fired from his job as airline mechanic in Egypt, is arrested after attempting to travel to Syria and charged with intent to join Islamic State. MORE

Mar. 16, 2015

Sec of State John Kerry says during visit to Switzerland that he remains dedicated to goal of achieving diplomatic solution to Syrian conflict and suggests he is open to negotiations with Pres Bashar al-Assad; statement contradicts State Dept assertion that United States does not support direct talks with Assad and has not changed its policy toward Syria. MORE

Mar. 16, 2015

Al Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan, built with tens of millions of international dollars and intended to house 60,000 people, stands largely empty 11 months after opening; among reasons for camp's desolation are rough and lonely conditions of camp life, fear of violence from Islamic State militants and Jordan's worry that refugees may become permanent; many see camp as symbol of wider breakdown in International system to help Syrian refugees. MORE

Mar. 15, 2015

Syria enters its fifth year of conflict with no end in sight and with hundreds of thousands of Syrians killed and about half of country's population displaced; satellite photos show that nation is 83 percent darker at night, due to destruction of infrastructure, population migration and energy cutoffs. MORE

Mar. 14, 2015

United Nations Children's Fund clarifies remarks made by Hanaa Singer, organization's Syria representative, saying she did not mean to urge governments to talk to Islamic State, but that any governments with influence over militant groups in Syria should press them to allow access to aid workers. MORE

Mar. 13, 2015

United Nations reputation continues to slip as the four-year war in Syria rages on; more than 220,000 people are dead, and no one has been held accountable. MORE

Mar. 12, 2015

More than 100 Americans, many of whom are veterans, have traveled to Iraq and Syria to volunteer with local militias in battle against Islamic State militants; volunteers, who offer their services as riflemen and advisers, appear to be motivated by outrage over Islamic State's brutal acts, boredom with civilian life and eagerness to make use of their combat skills again. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Op-Ed article by Abdel, Syrian doctor whose full name has been withheld for his safety, disputes claims made by Pres Bashar al-Assad's government that Syrian Army is not using barrel bombs; describes firsthand carnage that such bombs, which are oil barrels filled with explosives or chemical agents, inflict; urges international community and America in particular to help protect Syrian civilians. MORE

Mar. 10, 2015

Western governments are criticizing Turkey for not doing enough to stem flow across its border of jihadists seeking to join Islamic State group in Syria; Turkey has increased security along the border, but seems either unwilling or unable to completely end traffic in jihadists. MORE

Mar. 9, 2015

Officials in Iraq and Syria are scrambling to protect ancient art and archaeological sites as Islamic State militants speed ahead with systematic looting and destruction of antiquities; group has wreaked havoc at ancient Iraqi cities of Nimrud and Hatra, as well as other sites of ancient Assyrian culture; group has said destruction is motivated by desire to wipe out idolatry, but militants have also looted antiquities on large scale to raise money. MORE

Mar. 9, 2015

Mar. 7, 2015

Samir Hijazi, head of Syrian Al Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front, is reported killed along with three other of group's leaders. MORE

Mar. 7, 2015

United Nations Security Council passes resolution, 14-0, with abstention from Venezuela, condemning Syria's use of chlorine as chemical weapon; threatens sanctions that could include military response. MORE

Mar. 6, 2015

United States urges United Nations Security Council to condemn use of chlorine as chemical weapon in Syria. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Militants in Nursa Front branch of Al Qaeda and other radical Islamists blow up section of Air Force Intelligence building in Aleppo, Syria MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Syrian opposition begins posting photographs of prisoners who have died in government prisons so that family members can identify deceased and potentially serve as witnesses in war crimes cases; 27,000 images have been smuggled out of Syria by former police photographer, and show graphic evidence of torture. MORE

Mar. 3, 2015

Study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences draws link between global warming, severe drought in Syria from 2006 to 2009 and country's current military conflict; cites studies that show drought was factor in creating social stresses that eventually led to 2011 uprising against Pres Bashar al-Assad. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

Local leaders say 19 of group of Assyrian Christians kidnapped by Islamic State militants in northeastern Syria have been freed, and they met with church officials in a cathedral in the city of Hasaka. MORE

Feb. 27, 2015

Islamic State undertakes rampage against Assyrian Christians of northeastern Syria, taking at least 300 people captive; release video of members destroying priceless works of ancient Assyrian art inside the Mosul Museum in Iraq, in what art historians describe as catastrophic loss; offensive is seen as latest attempt to eradicate or subordinate all opponents and minorities in self-declared caliphate, as well as to provoke anger in the West. MORE

Feb. 27, 2015

United Nations top refugee commissioner Antonio Guterres urges European countries to accept more displaced Syrians in effort to discourage them from making perilous journey across Mediterranean Sea. MORE

Feb. 25, 2015

Islamic State militants invade several Assyrian Christian villages in northeastern Syria, taking hostages, including both civilians and fighters; estimates of hostages taken range from several dozen to more than 100. MORE

Feb. 25, 2015

Human Rights Watch concludes Syrian government dropped barrel bombs on at least 1,450 rebel-held sites since the United Nations Security Council passed a measure against practice Feb 22, 2014; conclusion is based on satellite images, photos, videos and witness statements. MORE

Feb. 24, 2015

Defense Sec Ashton B Carter says United States strategy for combating Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria is sound and that American military can balance risk of arming and training Syrian rebels. MORE

Feb. 23, 2015

Turkish Army sends troops into Syria to retrieve remains from Tomb of Suleyman Shah and rescue its guards guarding tomb, which has been attacked by Islamic State extremists. MORE

Feb. 22, 2015

People are debating whether American journalist James Foley, who was beheaded in Syria by Islamic State militants, converted from Christianity to Muslim for himself or for his captors; Foley's mother believes her son died a Christian and that his conversion was an act of practicality. MORE

Feb. 22, 2015

Turkey launches rescue mission inside Syria to retrieve Tomb of Suleyman Shah, which has been besieged by Islamic State militants. MORE

Feb. 21, 2015

Some human rights and antigovernment activists in Syria are borrowing Islamic State's tactic of using videos featuring shocking content to highlight scale of carnage wrought by Syrian war; one such video features children in orange jumpsuits being herded into cage, while an activist questions why there is no global response to bombings that routinely kill Syrian children. MORE

Feb. 18, 2015

United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura says he has convinced Syrian Pres Bashar al-Assad to stop bombing and shelling the northern city of Aleppo as part of a proposed six-week truce. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column praises group of Syrian volunteers known as White Helmets, who risk their lives to rescue survivors from rubble of bombings, regardless of survivors' affiliations; calls on Pres Obama to provide more support for group, and to provide more help to Syrian refugees. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

Staffan de Mistura, United Nations special envoy for Syria, says having Syrian Pres Bashar al-Assad remain in power is critical to ending war there; while United States and others have formally supported main exile opposition coalition as nation's leader, coalition does not control Syria's armed factions. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

United Arab Emirates return to combat missions against Islamic State for first time since December, launching series of airstrikes in Syria; Jordan also steps up its raids. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Islamic State reportedly sends family of American hostage Kayla Mueller photographs of her corpse as proof that she is dead; ISIS claims that Mueller died in building demolished by Jordanian airstrikes. MORE

Feb. 6, 2015

Smuggling operations in Turkey are cashing in as Syrian civil war grinds on, with more than three million Syrian refugees believed to have fled their country for Europe since 2011. MORE

Feb. 4, 2015

Op-Ed article by activist and teacher Alise Mofrei recounts brutality and abuse she suffered as political prisoner in Syria following her arrest at demonstration; observes that some 200,000 people have been detained in a similar fashion since 2012, enduring regular exposure to torture that can often be lethal; calls on international community to resume pressure on Pres Bashar al Assad to end detentions, disappearances and killings. MORE

Feb. 4, 2015

United Nations World Food Program voices its concern over possible manipulation of its Syrian aid after website posts apparently showed Islamic State supporters distributing its relief bags. MORE

Feb. 4, 2015

Saudi Arabia is attempting to pressure Russian Pres Vladimir V Putin to drop his support of Syrian Pres Bashar al-Assad, presenting possibility of reducing its oil supply and therefore sending prices up; Russia would benefit from higher prices, as its oil-based economy is ailing (Series: By the Barrel). MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

Study conducted by computer security firm FireEye finds that hackers aiding Syrian Pres Bashar al-Assad posed as women on Skype to steal Syrian opposition fighters' strategic battle plans; battle details that FireEye recovered are impressive, but it is not evident how or whether the information was used. MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

Kurds in liberated border city Kobani, Syria, are taking pride in their victory over Islamic State, even as they mourn heavy losses of their devastated city; American-led air campaign, in tandem with local forces, helped expel militants. MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

Explosion on bus carrying Lebanese pilgrims to Shiite shrines in Damascus kills at least six people and injures 27. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

David Brooks Op-Ed column assails United States government for professing to back Syrian rebels in fight against Pres Bashar al-Assad while in reality providing inadequate support; contends weak support of rebel faction amounts to both betrayal and tacit backing of Assad; holds US cannot afford to pick and choose its alliances in Middle East in fragmented manner, and must give full support to those who share American values. MORE

Jan. 28, 2015

Jan. 28, 2015

Op-Ed article by Angelina Jolie declares that suffering she witnessed in camps for refugees from Syria and Iraq is worse than any she has encountered in her previous four visits to region since 2007; calls on international community to do more to help millions displaced and traumatized by conflict and war crimes committed by Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq; underscores need for peace settlement in Syria. MORE

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March 25, 2015, Wednesday

Lens

Heidi Levine’s coverage of the conflict in Gaza earned her the first Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award, which honors the Associated Press photographer killed while working in Afghanistan.